Girl Meets Star
by iLOVEthis
Summary: It's not everyday that an ordinary girl like Melissa meets a star like Jackson. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A woman lay in her bed with her black hair spread out upon her pillow. She woke from the sunlight that was streaming in from her seventh floor apartment. She heard the distant honking of the traffic below her apartment.

"Another morning in L.A.," she said to herself with a smile as she tried to find a comfortable spot in her bed.

Melissa Wu has lived in Los Angeles, California for practically all of her life. But she felt like she had a new life in L.A. now since she had finally moved into her new apartment and was beginning to start a life by supporting herself. Her life-long goal was to become a doctor. Nothing like the surgery kind of doctors. She didn't think she could handle the stress. She wanted to become a pediatrician since she loved kids and the work didn't require her to cut open a person.

Melissa just wanted to absorb everything around her. She was really proud of herself. She was supposed to start her first day of internship.

"Oh, I almost forgot I gotta get to work."

She looked over at the clock and it read 8:45 A.M.

"SHIT!" she screamed out loud and literally jumped out of bed. "I'M LATE FOR MY FIRST DAY!"

She started to run to the bathroom to brush her teeth while she put on her scrubs. She just tied her hair hastily without combing it. She grabbed a cold muffin from the fridge and dashed out the door with her purse. She didn't even know if she locked the door. In fact, she didn't even know if she closed it.

She ran down her seventh floor hall toward the elevators. She was pushing the down button multiple times but the elevator doors never responded.

"Come on. Open up!" she said as she continuously tapped the down button. "This is so useless!"

She decided that going down the flight of stairs was faster than waiting for the elevator.

She panted as she made her way down.

**000**

He heard something as he was sleeping. He wanted to drift back to sleep, but that almost inaudible sound disturbed him and his mind started to take in all the noises around him.

By now, his attempts to fall back into dreamland were futile.

"Wake up, Cody Jackson," he heard a female voice say.

He didn't want to get out of bed so he just put his blanket over his face hoping that it would act as a barrier to make the voice go away.

"Come on, Cody," the voice said again.

"Daley, I'm tired. I just got back at 3:00 A.M. from performing yesterday. I have no energy."

"Well, you better have energy by the time I get you out of bed. As your agent, I have to make sure you do all your celebrity activities," Daley said as she pulled the covers off of Jackson. She had always been aggressive, but she was a good agent.

The cold air hit Jackson once his warm blanket was taken away. "What time is it?"

"It's eight right now and you have to get to the conference for your CD release by 9:15 sharp. I have never been known to have my clients arrive late at meetings and you better not dare to be the first," she said seriously. "I have a reputation in the music world, too, you know."

"All right, all right. Enough of the speech. I'm out of bed," Cody said as he skulked his way to his bathroom.

Cody Jackson was a new music icon. After just a day of his CD release, he already sold millions throughout the U.S. He lived his life luxuriously in Los Angeles with a nice house on a hilltop. He had expensive taste, especially for cars. As far as he could remember, he had a total of ten cars. Five were Lamborghinis. He believed that because he worked hard for his money, he had the right to treat himself with new toys.

He was often the subject of magazines nowadays since he just became a popular singer. They portrayed him as a party boy with multiple girlfriends. The party boy image wasn't true, but Cody couldn't deny the girlfriends part. It's true he has been with at least fourteen different girls and broke up with them. He didn't date them to fool around with them until a new girl came into the scene. He just didn't feel that the relationships led to anything serious, like marriage.

Daley Marin was his agent and has always been there for him. She was bossy and wanted everything to go her way. But, Cody admits, she was good. Really good. If he didn't like any of the terms of conditions in a contract with a music label, Daley would fight so hard to make it suitable for him. Companies were usually afraid of her because once you get her started, she doesn't stop.

By 8:45, Cody had eaten a full breakfast of eggs and bacon, taken a shower, and gotten his makeup done. He was now waiting in the backseat of a car with his personal chauffer.

They were waiting for Daley to come. Ironically, she prepared everyone on time for the conference and she was the last one to enter the small car.

They rode in the small car because it blended in with the rest of the cars in L.A. If Cody had taken a limo, it would have attracted too much attention and people would know there was a celebrity inside.

"So are you ready to answer some questions?" Daley asked with a smile as she looked behind her from the passenger seat. The driver was now on the road into the city.

"I'll try for this early morning," he said in a sleepy voice. "How are you so happy and awake?"

"Well, I like waking up early. I get up around 5 A.M. every morning."

"I swear you're like a robot or something."

"Well, you shou-"

Daley was cut off by the sudden halt of the car in the middle of traffic. Cody didn't have a seatbelt on so he thought that he was going to go through the windshield. In front of the car stood an Asian chick, who looked like she just got out of bed, with a muffin in her hand. She looked really irritated and angry.

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? KILL ME? DON'T YOU SEE ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY? UGGHH... I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

Then she ran to the sidewalk and Cody was pretty shocked. Everyone in the car didn't know how to react or what to do. They just stared silently at the spot where the woman stood. Then the cars behind them honked with annoyance and the driver snapped out of his shock and drove on.

"You know, I think I'm totally awake now," Cody said with a shaky voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Melissa walked out of the hospital with a sigh. She was an hour and a half late for her first day of internship. The staff was friendly, but they didn't like the idea of someone coming in for work late so she got stuck with cleaning the instruments. It wasn't bad, but it was really boring and not exciting like she imagined her first day to be.

"It's only six o' clock. I think I'll just walk around the city for a bit," she said to herself.

**000**

"Cody, that conference was great. You answered all the reporters' questions like a pro," Daley said proudly.

He and Daley were back at his house on the hilltop again. It was a long day for him. The conference took at least an hour, but there was more work to be done throughout the day. After the conference, he headed to a photoshoot for _GQ Magazine_. It was pretty cool, but changing outfits and shooting at least a hundred frames took hours. He was glad to be home and lying down on the couch again in front of his flat screen TV.

"Maybe we should almost run over innocent pedestrians more often," he said with a smile.

"Maybe, but don't laugh. She could have gotten hurt badly and you would be on the cover of every gossip magazine across the country," Daley said with a concerned tone.

"Daley, as a client and a good friend, I need to be honest with you and tell you that you worry way too much. You just need to relax and let things flow."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll do some relaxing after I retire," she said while pacing around the living room with her scheduling Blackberry in hand.

"Anyway, tomorrow you're going to have lunch at the Hollywood Café with Taylor Hagan. Her manager and I have decided to do a bit of a publicity stunt so it could boost both of your careers up."

"Hey, isn't she that new supermodel?" Jackson asked with apparently no interest as he was flipping through the channels.

"Yes, and you are a new singer. This is going to be perfect. I've leaked some news to the reporters so they will be there to take some photos on your 'date.'"

"Sure. Sounds good to me. You seem like you've got it all figured out," Cody said as he turned off the TV and sat up again.

"And plus, you might even want to date her for real. I heard she's really down to Earth."

"I guess we'll see. If you haven't remembered, I've practically dated all the models there are in the fashion industry. I don't guarantee this one would end too well," he said as he put on a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap. "I'm gonna go into the city for a bit. I'll see ya."

"Okay, but be careful. You don't know what might happen if your identity is revealed."

"I'll be fine. I've done it before. Don't wait up for me."

"Don't count on it," Daley said as she gave Cody a smile, which signaled as her goodbye.

**000**

Cody had the driver pull up onto the curb of an alleyway where there wasn't much human activity. That way he could just walk around the corner and be one with the crowd of ordinary people on the sidewalk.

He had no particular destination but his feet always took him to the music store up a couple of blocks. He smiled when his feet came to a stop at the store. He hung around there as a teenager since that was his cool place, while other kids had the mall. He loved music so it wasn't that surprising.

As Cody was reminiscing, he noticed that his feet stopped once again at the music store and he smiled.

"No surprise at all," he said to himself and then he walked in.

The store had remained the same as the last time he'd seen it. There was something about the store that made him feel the comforts of home. There were posters everywhere taped against the walls of bands that played in the seventies and dozens of shelves filled with so much music.

To the right of the entrance, Cody noticed that there was a shelf dedicated to his own CDs. He walked up to it and picked one up. He didn't want anything fancy on his cover so he told the company he signed with to just put a picture of a guitar standing against a wooden chair with the name Cody Jackson in the middle of the cover. It was simple, but he was proud of his hard work.

Just then he heard another person walk beside him and pick up a CD. He turned his head and noticed it was the girl from this morning. She was pretty cute when she didn't look like she wanted to kill someone. She was calm, which made her look more approachable.

"Hey," he said.

She looked up from the CD and said with a smile, "Hi."

"So are you a big fan of his?"

"Uhm... I've heard his music a couple of times. It's all right, but I don't get why he has to sing about how he had a bad life growing up. From what I can see, he probably lives in a mansion and owns, like, fifteen cars."

"Well, ten to be exact," he said and she gave him a strange, but at the same time, kind smile.

"Maybe if I saw how handsome he looked, I'd change my mind. I've been so busy with school lately, I haven't had time to read or watch any good celebrity news."

"In my opinion, he looks pretty attractive," Cody said with no shame at all.

"Are you in love with him or something?" she said with a smile.

"Well, I mean, if I were that way, then he would definitely be my first choice."

"You're pretty strange, you know that?"

"I've heard it once or twice before."

"But I like it. You have a unique personality," she said as she stretched out her arm. "I'm Melissa Wu."

"I'm..." He was trying to come up with a name at the top of his head. It was hard since he really liked this girl. "I'm Jackson. I just go by Jackson."

"Nice to meet you," Melissa said as she put the CD back on the shelf. "Do you want to have a cup of coffee with me?"

Jackson was pretty shocked at this, but in a good way. He hasn't once met a girl who asked him to do something with her. It made Melissa more attractive because she was so different and new.

"Sure. I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Ms. Taylor Hagan I have a big surprise for you."

"Well, what is it, Nathan?" she said with a smile as she put down the magazine she was reading.

"As an agent, I've done pretty awesome things for you but this one tops all of them."

"Come on. The suspense is getting to me. I'm so excited now!"

"Well, I talked to another agent and I was able to set up you up on a date with Cody Jackson."

At his surprise, Taylor immediately screamed and gave Nathan a hug.

"OH MY GOD, NATHAN! YOU'RE SO AWESOME!"

"I know, I know," he said as he tried to calm her down.

She finally let go and said, "You don't know how long I have been crushing on him. I know we started our careers at the same time, but I still admired him. Isn't it weird? A celebrity admiring another celebrity who's, like, the same age. We are going to make such a cute couple. Supermodel and singer. It has a nice ring to it..."

By now, Taylor was silent and daydreaming. She was thinking about what he was going to be like and how the chemistry was and...

"What am I going to wear tomorrow?" she exclaimed as she ran into her walk-in closet.

"Taylor, I'm sure he will still think you're beautiful in whatever you wear."

"You don't understand, Nathan," she said as she started to toss different items of clothing out of the closet. "I want to dress to impress, but I don't want to over-dress or under-dress. This is so complicated!"

"Not really. Just put on some clothes. That's all you need."

"Please, Nathan. Don't give advice about fashion if you don't know anything about it."

At that comment, Nathan started to laugh.

"How can you laugh at a crisis like this?" she said as she walked around the pile of clothes on the floor. "I know. I need a shopping spree."

Nathan rolled his eyes and said, "I'll get the car ready."

**000**

"So, what do you do for a living?" Melissa asked as she sipped her third cup of coffee.

Jackson and Melissa talked for at least three hours in the same coffee shop. They didn't notice the time passing by since they enjoyed each other's company. They covered every topic from food to L.A. and everything in between. Jackson had been trying to avoid answering questions about himself, but he knew that it was inevitable. He dreaded lying to her, but her questions meant that she was interested in him.

"Uh... I work at a car repair shop. It's pretty small and near the border of the city."

"Really? That's kinda far. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's cool. Messy work, but I enjoy it," he said with a sincere smile.

"It's good that you like it," she said as she returned the same warm smile. "Can I see your eyes?"

"What?" he asked a bit confused.

"Well, you've been wearing those sunglasses for the whole time despite the fact that we're indoors and it's nighttime now."

"Oh, right," he said. He looked around and saw that there were only three people left in the shop so he concluded that his identity was safe. He took off his sunglasses cautiously. Melissa's brown eyes looked into his grey eyes and saw a something very soulful.

"It's nice looking at you eye-to-eye," she said in a joking tone.

"Same here. Hey, I think it's closing time," he said as he hinted her to look to her left.

Melissa saw that the employee behind the counter was glaring at them. The employee didn't seem to like the fact that she was working late because of some customers who refused to leave.

"Yeah, let's go," she said, almost laughing.

"Can I have the honor of walking you home?" Jackson asked, as they were once again outside.

"Why, of course," she said as she held his hand. Jackson didn't expect her to do it, but he liked it. "You're such a gentleman."

"Don't flatter me too much," he said with a smile. "It's only because I like you."

**000**

They were now standing outside of Melissa's apartment door. She was surprised that she actually closed it before she ran out this morning. She let go of Jackson's hand and opened the door. She was now standing in her apartment facing him and the door frame separated them.

They stood there in silence until Melissa said, "Thanks for a great time."

"Oh, yeah. It was no problem."

"Listen, I don't really give a kiss on a first date. Actually, this was an unexpected date," she said laughing a little to herself. "Goodnight, Jackson."

"Night. Have a good one," he said.

She closed the door and he walked away until he heard her door open again and turned around.

"I might not give a kiss on a first date, but I do on a second date."

Jackson smiled and said, "Does seven tomorrow night sound good to you?"

"Perfect," she said as she flashed a smile and closed the door again.

After Melissa closed the door, she leaned against it and let out a sigh of happiness. She really liked this guy.


	4. Chapter 4

An update? Thanks for all the reviews!

**Chapter 4**

"Cody, you look dead," Daley said.

"Point out the obvious, will you?" Cody replied.

"I'll make sure the makeup artist puts an extra layer on today," Daley said, almost choking on her toast. "Why are you so exhausted? It's ten in the morning. That's plenty of time to sleep."

"Well, let's see if you can do the math," Jackson said, as he dropped down into his chair and the cook placed a cup of orange juice in front of him. "Three cups of coffee at nine o' clock at night."

"Jeez. Why were you drinking coffee so late?"

Cody was staring into his coffee and reminiscing about the night before: the music store, the coffee, and Melissa. When he thought about her, he instantly flashed a grin. He was thinking about her all night. He didn't want to lead a double life and lie to her. But if she found out who he really was, would she have been the same person whom he met yesterday? The idea of this subject wiped the grin off Cody's face. He just wanted to "go with the flow" and see where their relationship ended. He broke the trance of the coffee and saw Daley staring at him.

"What?" he said innocently, not noticing that he had been staring at his coffee for a couple of minutes.

"Are you sure you're all right? I could cancel the date if you're not feeling well."

"No. I'm fine," Cody said, while Daley gave a concerned look. "Trust me. I'm all right."

"Okay, if you say so. You're in charge of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough of the speech. Let's just get this date over with."

**000**

"Here. Merry Christmas," the nurse said in a dull tone.

"Awww... you're so considerate, Beth," Melissa responded in an equally dull tone with a hint of sarcasm.

Melissa was bored to death. Literally. Her internship wasn't as glamorous as she thought it would be. All she did throughout the day was clean instruments in a secluded room. She had no contact with the outside world, except when a nurse came in and handed her a tray of dirty instruments.

_I hate this with a passion,_Melissa thought to herself as she dropped the instruments into the sterilizer.

The only thing that motivated her to get through the day was the date with Jackson.

**000**

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Cody," he said, as he stood up from his seat to greet his date and held out his hand.

"Hi! It's so great to see you too! I'm Taylor!" she said with such excitement.

She didn't shake his hand, but, instead, gave him a hug. Cody felt a bit awkward with her gesture since it was so unexpected. The photographers on the other side of the café window took multiple shots of them so he returned the hug.

When they finally broke apart, he said, "Shall we eat?"

"Definitely," Taylor said with a huge smile as Jackson helped her into her seat. "Thank you."

"No problem. It's so weird being on a blind date set up by our agents. You'd think by now they could find dates for themselves."

After he said that, Taylor burst out laughing very loudly. Jackson didn't know how to react. He didn't see what was so funny. Taylor was hitting the table and almost looked like she was crying from the laughter. She obviously thought something was very hilarious.

When Taylor finally calmed down, she said, "You're really funny. You know that?"

"Was it what I said?"

"Yeah. You might think I'm strange right now, but I'm usually not this psycho. It's just that I'm so nervous about meeting you. I admire you so much. Plus, the reporters outside watching our date don't help either."

"Don't be nervous," Cody said, as he held her hand. "Just be yourself and I'll be myself."

He gave her a warm and reassuring smile. A smile saying that everything was okay without him actually speaking the words. Taylor returned the smile and they looked into each other's eyes while holding hands. She didn't notice that the photographers were taking pictures of them. She just looked into Cody's eyes and saw a genuine soul.

**000**

"Thanks for lunch," Taylor said at the end of their "date."

"Don't thank me. Thank my agent. She pretty much set this all up," Cody said with a smile as he helped her out of her seat. "But I do admit that you're pretty cool. You're different than the other models I've been with."

"Different, huh? In a good or bad way," Taylor said in a teasing tone.

He just shrugged and said, "Well, we'll have to see, won't we?"

They hugged for their good-byes until they heard a photographer yell: "HEY! HOW 'BOUT A KISS?"

Loud enough so the photographer could hear, Cody just simply said, "NOT ON A FIRST DATE."

**000**

"So how was your date?" Nathan asked curiously.

"It was so... awesome," Taylor replied, as she plopped onto her bed like a teenage girl.

"The best part was when he said I was cool."

"Glad to hear. Listen, I don't want you to get too attached. This is just for publicity. We don't know if he'll end up liking you or not, okay? I don't want you getting hurt through this process."

"Thanks, Nathan. I know what you mean, but I can't help it. I think I might have fallen head over heels for him."

"After one date?"

"Don't underestimate the power of love…. Hey, don't laugh at me!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hey, Cody, how was your date?" Daley asked when she saw Jackson pass by the living room.

"It was fine. Taylor's pretty cool. So when are we gonna go out again?" Cody said, as he slipped his foot into his right shoe.

"Well, Nathan and I haven't decided yet. They're coming over here tomorrow to discuss some things."

"Sounds okay to me. Daley, have you seen the other pair to this shoe?"

"Check behind the door. So where are you going? I thought you would be sitting on the couch and watching the reporters talk about your date on TV."

"Nah, not today. I have something more important to do."

"Oh, I see. You're going out again. Don't get sick and don't get noticed by the public."

"I know, Daley. I'll be fine. Thanks for the advice. I gotta go. See ya."

"Bye. Have fun with whatever you're doing."

Cody was out the door in a second because he thought that he was going to be late for his date with Melissa. He had ten minutes left so he got into the backseat of his car and told Neil, his driver, that he was in a hurry. Then, Cody's cellphone rang and he answered.

"Hello?"

"I hate my job," said a congested voice.

"Melissa? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm just really sick right now. I must have gotten sick from staying in a room full of dirty instruments that touched sick kids. I'm a mess right now and my nose is all runny. I was really looking forward to tonight, but I don't think I'm able to go. I'm really sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. It's fine. There'll be a million other dates to go on. Just promise me you'll be better by the next one."

"I promise. Thanks, Jackson. Bye."

"Bye," Jackson said and he put his phone away.

"Hey, Neil."

"Yes, Mr. Jackson? How can I be of your assistance?"

"Can you stop by the supermarket before dropping me off? I have an errand to run."

"Of course, sir."

"Thank you."

**000**

Melissa was a mess. She was lying on the couch watching TV with her favorite bunny slippers on. She had a box of tissues on her coffee table and a bucket that was overflowing with used tissues. She didn't have the energy to do anything but watch TV.

Then she heard a knock at her door.

_That's strange. I wasn't expecting anyone,_Melissa thought to herself.

She stood up and wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. Her hair was sticking up but she didn't care. She shuffled her feet to the door and there in front of her was Jackson with a grocery bag in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, I figured that since we couldn't go out, we could just stay indoors."

"That's so sweet of you. Come in, but beware. My place isn't very clean when I'm sick."

"I'm not so worried," Jackson said with a chuckle.

He walked into the kitchen area and dropped the grocery bag on top of the counter. Then he started to rummage through Melissa's drawers and cabinets.

"What are you doing?" Melissa asked while she was peeking into the brown bag.

"Well, I thought that I would make some chicken noodle soup for you so you would get better. Where do you keep your pots?"

"Check the cabinets to the right of the sink."

When Jackson finally found the pots, he took a big one and filled it with water. Then, he put it over the stove and returned to Melissa.

"So what do you have in the bag?" she asked curiously.

"The carrots, chicken, peas, and noodles are for the soup," Jackson said as he took them out one by one.

"Oooo."

"Some stick candles for a romantic atmosphere."

"You're good."

"Some cold medicine for you."

"You're really good. Thank you!"

"A bottle of red wine."

"Jackson, I don't think I'm supposed to have that with the medicine."

"No worries. It's for me. And this is for you," he said as he pulled out a box of tea bags.

"You really thought this through, didn't you?"

"Well, I know how to sweep a woman off her feet."

"Good. I better be the first one you've done this for."

"Don't worry. You are," Jackson said with a warm smile. "Hey, you want to help me cut the carrots?"

"Yeah, sure."

**000**

"Jackson, this is amazing! I'm feeling better already," Melissa said as she ate her soup.

"Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy it."

"When I was younger, my mom would make me soup all the time when I was sick. It would always make me feel better. Did your mom teach you how to cook this?"

"No," Jackson said as he looked down into his empty bowl. Melissa didn't want to continue on the topic since Jackson didn't seem comfortable with it.

"It sucks that we can't kiss on our second date," Melissa said.

"Why not?" Jackson asked with a smile.

"Well, I'm sick and I'm sure you don't want to catch what I have."

"It'd just be one kiss, right? I have a strong immune system. I don't think your sickness is a long term thing," he said, as he scooted closer to Melissa.

"I know, but still I-"

Melissa was cut off since Jackson decided to move in and kiss her. The kiss was warm and soothing. Melissa wrapped her arms around his neck and Jackson placed his hand upon her waist. When the kiss was over, they broke apart with a smile.

"That was really good," Melissa said.

"Yeah, it was... good. I told you that I'd be fine."

"I guess so. You're a really good kisser."

"Thanks. You are too."

Now they were just looking into each other's eyes with a smile. They were also holding hands and taking in the romantic atmosphere around them.

"So...," Melissa said to break the silence. "You never really talked about your childhood."

"There's nothing to talk about," Jackson said as he let go of her hand.

"What do you mean? You must have some stories," Melissa said with a smile. She didn't see that he was serious about the subject.

"Melissa, listen. There's nothing to talk about, okay?"

"Jackson, we can't have a relationship if we can't even talk about ourselves."

"Well, maybe I don't want to talk about my childhood."

"Why not? Talk to me about it. You know you can trust me."

"Melissa, stop. I'm sorry, but I just can't let you in yet."

"Jackson, I've let you in. The least you can do is let me in."

"It's none of your business, okay?" he said.

All of a sudden, Jackson stood up and left. Melissa couldn't believe what just happened. She replayed the whole conversation in her head again, but didn't seem to know how to react.


	6. Chapter 6

I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry. I've been busy with my other story so I'll resume this one after I finish the other. Thanks for all your reviews! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

**Chapter 6**

Jackson was awake in his bed but didn't want to get up. He hated how he acted towards Melissa, but he had a reason. He just wasn't ready to let her in yet since it was only their second date. He was hoping that she would understand, but she was so persistent.

However, Melissa did have a point. A relationship meant that they were supposed to be open and trust each other. Jackson decided that he would tell her when the time was right. He was hoping that she was all right and not angry at him.

After he came to an agreement with himself, he finally willed himself to get out of bed.

When he reached the bottom of the staircase, a voice from the living said, "Oh, good. You're up."

Jackson turned towards the living room and saw Daley with Nathan and Taylor. He was pretty embarrassed since he was still in his sleeping wear, which consisted of sweatpants with a plain t-shirt. Taylor gave Jackson a huge smile, which he returned, and then Daley quickly excused herself.

She walked up to Jackson, dragged him by the elbow to a corner, and said, "Why aren't you dressed? You forgot about the meeting, didn't you?"

"You know me too well, Daley. There's no point in lying to you."

"Cody, don't get smart with me. I'm serious. You need to be presentable in front of people and not a slob. Now get your act together and go change."

Cody was about to answer her, but a sneeze came out instead. He saw Daley's eyes widen and quickly said, "Daley, relax."

"Oh, don't you tell me to relax. You got a cold while going out yesterday. I knew I shouldn't have let you go."

"Don't worry. It's just a cold. It'll go away."

"What if it doesn't? What if it turns into a fever or something? Then you would have to cancel CD signings and the tour. Your fans would stop supporting you. Then you'd be booted out of the music industry with me. What are we going to do then, Cody?"

He could tell that she was stressing out so he put his hands on her shoulders and said, "I promise I will get better. Okay? If I change my clothes right now, we won't be booted out of the music industry and our futures will be different from what you just predicted. I'm confident about that."

Daley looked into his eyes and said with a sigh, "I trust you."

Cody broke out into a smile and said, "Great. Now I need to work on getting you to smile more and then you'll be more approachable. Seriously, you need to relax. We're the same age, but you're looking a few years older these days."

Daley just replied, "I'm hoping that was some kind of advice and not an insult. What are you standing around for? Go change!"

**000**

When Jackson returned to the living room, he noticed that it was silent.

He walked over to Nathan and shook his hand. "Sorry for keeping you."

"It's no problem. It's nice to finally meet _the_Cody Jackson. It's an honor."

"Same here. Please, take a seat."

They took their seats and Cody nodded towards Taylor, who gave a small grin in return.

"Since we're all now acquainted, let's get down to business," Daley said, as she placed some folders onto the coffee table. "Nathan and I need to know what kind of dates you two are comfortable with."

Cody looked at Taylor first and then turned towards Daley. "I'm up for anything. I'm not too picky."

"Yeah, me neither," Taylor chimed in.

"Okay, then. That'll make our jobs so much easier," Daley said, as she flashed a smile toward Nathan. "Uh... Cody, why don't you give a tour of the garden in the back to Taylor. I'm sure she'll enjoy all the flowers."

"Sure. Let's go," he said, as he offered his arm to Taylor. She embraced it and they walked out.

When they were out of the room, Nathan said, "So... how have you been, Daley?"

"Oh... the same. Nothing new with me," she replied, as she rummaged through the folders. "And you?"

"Pretty good. Nothing new with me either. This job is pretty much taking over my life."

"Tell me about it," she said with an exasperated look.

"So how are things with you and Nick?" Nathan asked hesitantly.

"Fine... now that we're no longer seeing each other," she said, as she dove into her paperwork again.

"Really?" he asked excitedly. "I mean, that's too bad. What happened?"

"It just didn't work out. You know, with work and stuff. It's tough."

"Yeah. It happens. So... do you want to get some coffee sometime?"

"That's sweet, Nathan. But I'm not really ready to date yet. My main focus right now is on Cody and his career. It's too bad that he's not making it easy for me. I feel as though I won't be able to have some time for myself until I'm retired."

"I'll wait for you then," Nathan replied without any hesitation.

Daley smiled and said, "I'll hold you to that then."

**000**

"Those sunflowers are huge. They're so beautiful," Taylor said in awe.

"Thanks. Do you grow flowers too?"

"No, not anymore. My mom did. She loved going outside everyday and taking care of her garden. It was like another child to her. I remember for Mother's Day one year I picked some flowers from the garden and put them in a vase for her birthday," she said with a smile.

"What happened next?" Cody asked, interested in her family.

"She scolded me about never touching the garden again and sent me to my room. She later told me that she was sorry and gave me a hug. After that incident, she actually let me help her care for the garden."

"So you guys forgave each other just like that?"

"Yeah. Why do you seem so surprised?"

"Well, I thought that there would be more anger or resentment after what you did."

Taylor gave a chuckle and then said, "Well, families don't hold grudges like that. Sure, they can be angry but not for long. My mom and I loved each other very much and we weren't going to let a garden interfere with our relationship. That would have been really silly."

"Wow, that's actually really cool. I wish I had a relationship like that."

"Really? I didn't think that our relationship was anything special. I thought that all families were like that."

"Well, I believe that everyone has a unique and different relationship within a family."

Taylor smiled up at Cody and said, "So what kind of memories do you remember?"

Cody was hesitant to answer, but did so anyway. "Well, I remember my mom as being the best baker of all time. On Sundays, we would always make sugar cookies in the shape of Christmas trees from scratch."

"Really? I've always wanted to make something from scratch. I bet they must have tasted better than the ones at the store."

"Ten times better," Cody said and Taylor noticed his eyes light up. "She would let me roll the dough and, as a reward for my good work, I would get the first cookie."

"She sounds so nice. I bet every kid in the world would want her as a grandma."

"Yeah, she would have been a great one," he said more to himself.

Suddenly they heard a rumble and Cody thought it was something in the bushes.

"Nope. It's definitely my stomach. Sorry. I'm just really hungry," Taylor said with a giggle.

"We can head back now. The pizza Daley ordered should be here by now," Cody said but then stopped abruptly in his tracks. "I'm sorry. We should have asked if you wanted pizza. Do you want me to order a salad right now? I'll make sure they make it a quick delivery. Or do you want-"

Cody was stopped by Taylor's index finger on his lips. She smiled and said, "Don't worry. I love pizza. Don't think that all models are on a diet. You shouldn't stress out like your agent."

"Sorry about that," he said and they continued walking. "Man, did I really sound like Daley?"

**000**

"Hey, Day, is the pizza here yet?" Cody asked, as he led Taylor to her seat.

"Not yet. It should be here soon though," she responded.

Right then the doorbell rang and Cody opened the door. In front of him was a guy about his age with dirty blonde hair and a pointed nose. He wore a light blue shirt that read "Speedy Sam's" on the pocket.

"You're right on time," Cody said, as he exchanged the twenty dollars for the hot pizza box.

"Thanks. Nice place you got here." Then, the man looked up and analyzed Cody's face.

"Hey, you're Cody Jackson!"

"Nice to meet you," Cody said, as he shook the guy's hand.

"Whoa! This is so awesome. I delivered a pizza to Cody Jackson! My name is Eric by the way."

"Well, Eric, you're doing a great job delivering pizzas."

"Thanks... sir. No, sir sounds way too old. Is it all right with you if I call you... chief?"

"I see no problem with that," Cody said with a smile.

"You are so awesome, chief. You have it all: talent, cars, and chicks."

"It's great to know you're a fan, Eric. But I have some guests over right now who are waiting for me to bring the pizza. So..."

"Oh, I gotcha, chief," Eric said with a wink. "I'll be on my way. If you need another pizza delivery, ask for me."

"I sure will. Bye."

Cody walked back to the living room and placed the pizza on the coffee table. Daley almost smacked him for placing it on her folders, but luckily none were damaged. Then, they all dug into the pizza.

"This is so good!" Taylor exclaimed. "You have to give me the number of the shop."

"I'll try to remember that," he said, as he wiped some sauce from the corner of her mouth.

Daley and Nathan noticed this and smiled at each other.


	7. Chapter 7

I'M BACK! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!

**Chapter 7**

"So, how was the walk through the garden with Taylor?" Daley asked with interest after the guests left.

"It was... nice. She's really easy to talk to," Cody replied while Daley plopped herself down on the couch.

"Would you say that she's different from the other models?"

"Yeah. You were right. She's really down to Earth. Everything she does and says is natural, not fake."

"Good." She wrote something into her notebook. "Now, would you say that she had a nice smile?"

"Oh, definitely. She's probably the second person I know who has the biggest smile that I've ever seen."

"Who's the first one?"

"Oh, it's..." Cody paused because he suddenly had the image of Melissa pop into his head. "It's nobody important."

"Okay, then. Would you say that you would want to go out with Taylor _for real_?"

"Daley, stop! What's with all the questions? Are you working for a magazine or something?" Cody was annoyed, but not by the questions. He simply missed Melissa and hated how things ended the night before because he acted like an ass.

"Sorry, Cody. Uhm... it's nothing. I just wanted to make some notes. That's all. I just thought that you two would make a cute couple. It seemed like the relationship was going that way. You know, into something real. I guess I was wrong, huh? Sorry about that." Daley concluded by closing the notebook and placing it on the coffee table.

"No, Daley. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just that I have some unfinished business and it's kinda getting to me."

An awkward silence ensued.

"You know, that outburst felt good," Cody said with laugh, breaking the lull in the room.

"Right? I told you that ordering people around makes you feel great!" Daley said, as she joined in the laughter.

"You should have seen your face! You looked so scared!"

"Shut up, Cody!"

After they enjoyed each other's company for a good minute, Cody said, "Well, this was fun. I'm gonna head out now."

"Oh, no you don't, mister. Don't think that I forgot about that sneeze earlier today. You go upstairs and get some rest. Now," Daley said in a strict tone.

"It's only six o' clock!"

"Don't make me put you in time-out, young man."

**000**

At seven thirty, Cody tiptoed down the stairs quietly and was almost at the last step when he heard _her_ voice from the living room: "Don't you try to sneak out on my watch! Get your butt back in bed!"

Rolling his eyes and muttering to himself, he stomped back up the stairs.

By nine o' clock that night, Cody had devised a plan to escape from the house.

He opened his window and stuck his head out. To the left, he saw the vines growing on the side of his house and knew that they were strong enough to support his weight. While he sat on his windowsill, Cody attempted to reach for the vines that were a few feet away. There was nothing below his window to break the fall so he had to make sure that it didn't happen. With a grunt, Cody was able to grab onto a vine and swing his whole body off of the windowsill. He now faced the side of the house and made his way down slowly.

"Hey, Neil! Thanks for waiting for me. I had to find another way out of the house," Cody said, as he got into the passenger seat.

"It was no problem at all, sir. I assume this must be an urgency if Daley doesn't know that you left the premises."

"Well, it is. Kinda. Anyway, let's just go. I can't afford to waste anymore time."

"Right away, sir," Neil replied, as he pulled out of the driveway and exited the gates.

Unbeknownst to the two, a car followed right behind them.

**000**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Melissa shouted, as she ran for the door. "Jackson!"

"Hey," he said with a sad look.

Melissa was speechless and didn't know how to react. Should she be happy, sad, or angry?

"I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I am sorry. I keep trying to convince myself that I was justified in acting the way I did. But I was wrong. I'm here because I keep thinking of you. I want to say that I'm really, really sorry."

"Are you done?" Melissa said with crossed arms.

"Yeah. I can leave now if you want me to."

"Don't be silly," she said, as she broke into a smile. "Come here and give me kiss."

She pulled him in and looked into his eyes before going in for the kiss.

Once their lips parted, Jackson remarked, "Glad to see that you're feeling better."

"You know, it's all thanks to your chicken noodle soup."

"Really? That's it?"

"Oh, and the cold medicine you bought," she said with a giggle.

"Well, in order for you to have a full recovery, you need to get out of this apartment. I demand that you take a walk with me and get some fresh air," Jackson said and then kissed her hand.

"What? At this time? It's almost nine thirty."

"You have nothing to be afraid of. After all, you have your own personal body guard. Nobody would dare come near you."

"Oh, really? Where is he then?" Melissa looked outside into the hallway as a joke. "You didn't mean yourself, did you?"

**000**

Since there was a park directly across from Melissa's apartment building, they decided to walk on the paths there.

While they walked in silence, they held hands and nodded at other strollers on the path.

All of a sudden, Jackson said, "My dad left when I was seven. I came home from school one day and saw my mom crying at the kitchen table. I didn't know what was wrong at first since my mom wouldn't say a word. She just kept crying. So, I tried to comfort her by saying that everything was okay and that when my dad got home, everything would be better. I just made the situation worse without knowing it."

Jackson took in a breath of air while Melissa waited patiently for him to continue.

"After a few days without seeing my dad come home, I asked my mom if we should call the police and tell them that he was missing. That's when she sat me down on her lap and told me the truth. We never really figured out why he left and I've never seen or heard from him since. But, the good thing that came from it was that I got closer to my mom over the next few years. I loved her so much. We had a good relationship until she got a new boyfriend named Ron. She was happy and I was happy for her, but I had a bad feeling about that guy. I was about thirteen then.

"Things started getting bad when Ron moved in and ordered my mom around like she was his own personal servant or something. When they argued, I would leave the apartment and spend my time at the music store, where we met. I would come home an hour later to see my mom crying. She tried to hide the bruises she got, but I knew they were there. I knew about the abusive relationship and never did anything about it. Every time they argued, I would leave and return an hour later. It was like a daily routine to me. Then, one day, I came back to the apartment to find a policeman handcuffing Ron while the other tried to restrain the little crowd in the hallway from getting closer to the apartment.

"I made my way through the crowd and tried to get into the apartment when the policeman stopped me and asked if I lived there. I answered yes and he gave me a sad look. Then, he said that he had some bad news for me. It turned out that it was a heated argument and Ron didn't stop beating my mom despite her screams. A neighbor heard all the noise and called the cops."

Right then, Jackson stopped walking and turned to face Melissa. "I knew about their relationship, but didn't do anything about it. If I didn't go to the music store, I could have helped her. She could still be alive right now. But, I've stopped thinking like that a long time ago because my mom wouldn't have wanted me to live that way. All I have to remember is the way she loved me."

Jackson didn't look sad at the end of the story, but relieved that he finally had a chance to open up to someone. "Melissa, thank you for being patient with me. It was hard telling the story, but I'm glad that it was you. I trust you. And, I think I'm falling in love with you."

Melissa had watery eyes but accepted the kiss that Jackson unexpectedly gave. Their kiss then became heated when Jackson backed Melissa up against a tree and they started making out.

Then, they pulled apart, gasping for breath.

"Why don't we continue this in my apartment?" Melissa suggested.


End file.
